Tag: Day 8 of 365

 It may be crushingly cold outside, but ice and snow transform Cuba Marsh in beautiful ways this time of year.  Sometimes, when I drive past, curiosity calls and I can’t help but slow the car and turn my wheels into the forest preserve’s icy entrance.  The first thing I found during this visit reminded me of a flag, shocked into submission and buried beneath layers of wintry glass.

It looked like a lonesome surrender, but the beauty of Cuba Marsh is its diversity, combining marsh and prairie with woodland and savanna. A wide range of plants and animals make their homes here and, when I took a step back, I found that this flagsicle had a friend.…